A Sacred Ordinance

Church Educational System
The sacrament is a sacred ordinance and should be participated in only when a person is striving sincerely to keep the covenants thereof. However, if a person waits until he is totally free from sin, he will never partake of the sacrament. The sacrament is a source of spiritual power, and not to partake cuts a person off from that power and compounds the problem of becoming more worthy. However, sins of a serious nature may cause us to lose the privilege of partaking of the sacrament through probation, disfellowshipment, or excommunication. Generally, if a sin is serious enough to warrant not partaking of the sacrament for any length of time, it is probably serious enough to warrant a discussion of that transgression with priesthood leaders.

Elder Delbert L. Stapley explained that there is a way to become worthy to partake of the sacrament again, even in the case of transgression:

“Emphasizing as I have, the importance of worthiness in partaking of the sacrament of our Lord, maybe there are some of you, I hope not, that have a feeling you have been unworthily partaking. Remember, we have in the Church the principles of repentance, and of forgiveness. Certainly one who truly repents with all their heart and [does] the works of righteousness can be forgiven and the Lord will remember their sins no more. Such an individual can reinstate himself [with the help and counsel of priesthood leaders] to worthily partake of the emblems of our Lord”

(The Sacrament, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 8 May 1956], p. 9).

Book of Mormon Student Manual (1996 Edition)

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